The Astounding X-Men
by somethinganything
Summary: The X-Men in a more condensed, streamlined Marvel Universe with no magic and no magic characters present. The men known as Professor X and Magneto have been dead for nearly a decade, but their contradicting ideologies and symbols still linger in the uphill struggle for mutant equality. The first generation of X-Men, in their fifties and sixties, now have a second generation.
1. Chapter 1 A New Arrival

Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning, Iowa.

Cyclops looked over at his wife. Jean was so beautiful. After all these years, Cyclops has never thought otherwise. She met his gaze warmly. They continued to get dressed, albeit slowly, to start another day. Cyclops could hear children and teenagers moving about already. It was difficult for him to imagine the mansion any differently. _We kept it going, Charles. Kept it going strong even after all these years, like you wanted._

"Still tired."

"Yeah, same. But it'll wear off," he kissed her cheek. A white lie, they both knew. Even spread across all seven of them, maintaining everything to advance on their goal was still difficult.

They left their room and walked down the hallway. Cyclops and Jean passed children and teenagers, greeting them as they passed. They walked through the halls, and down the stairs to an elevator door. They considered stopping by Tabitha's room, but they know their daughter did not want to feel smothered. Jean typed in a code on the keypad, and the elevator opened. Cyclops pressed the down button, and the elevator door closed.

It was a short ride, and the door opened. They passed the Danger Room, the aircraft room containing the Blackbird, and the defunct Cerebro room. After the passing of Xavier, the Cerebro could no longer be used. None of them had telepathic capabilities, and therefore it became a financial hindrance. Cyclops and Jean entered the final room where Beast, Rogue, Karma, Oya, Husk sat a roundtable. They greeted each other as they took their respective seats and prepared their documents.

Cyclops broke the silence,"Alright, the weekly briefing has begun. I'll start. Xavier Mansion security is stable. There, were some graffiti sprayed onto the basketball court. Some of the kids found it, unsettled them. That's being taken care of."

Karma chimed in,"Good. They shouldn't have to see that. Not here."

"How are the new X-Men coming along?" Husk asked.

"They're doing well. Their teamwork is getting better, however Northstar's still has some work with that. Tabith- Boom-Boom is still acting out. Jean and I have tried talking to her about it, to no success. But, they're in their late teens after all. Trouble's to be expected. They've really gotten used to their powers. Hank, we'll probably have to upgrade the Danger Room for them." Beast smiled, and Cyclops continued. "Thanks to Rogue, we do have a new X-Man arriving today from Illinois. Kitty Pryde, seventeen years old, her ability being intangibility. With some work, she'll round out the team nicely. I'll still be sending the other five on mutant and human protection missions in the meantime. She'll join them in time. That's really it for me. Jean?"

Straightening up, Jean said," The finances are relatively stable. I have to call a plumber in to fix some of the bathrooms on the second floor of the west wing. Some of the kids have been acting up in there, now we need some new pipes and sinks there. Few late payments, but I talked to the parents and they'll be coming in soon. And for the abandoned or orphaned, the checks from the government for fostering them have arrived. Still working on everything else, but I will prioritize the paychecks first."

"Cool, Karma and I will email the teachers about that," Husk responded.

"And how are things on your ends?" Jean politely asked.

Husk spoke first, "Academics are going great. The teachers are going beyond the state curriculum and test scores recently have been good. Better than last month. Karma's wife Sharon's students have done extremely well"

Beast quickly interjected, his right hand stroking the blue fur under his chin," There have been some criticism lately about the lack of nonmutant employees at our school. How come there aren't any?"

"There haven't been any applications from nonmutants. Tell the press that nonmutant applications are always welcome. We want equality for all, that's what we teach here," she answered.

Beast nodded contently to Husk, and Karma began her briefing. "Mutant ability classes have had slow but steady improvements. I do still make an effort to have- it's not the best phrasing- to have therapy sessions with the students. Having your X-Men come in last week to tell their own stories was really helpful, Scott. Thanks."

"Your welcome Xi'an. Oya, you've been quiet. How has the activist movements been lately. I heard three hundred came to the one you organized with some grassroots activists over in Boston."

'Yeah, that was really great. Those were some great people. As usual, I've been making calls to schoolboards, state representatives as usual. I finally managed to get the first middle school presentation on mutant rights down in Texas. I'm working on other domestic and foreign protests with some other activists and a cyber campaign right now. All that, right now is primarily on the Mutant Registration Act that's being debated in Congress. Beast will probably tell you more about that."

Without missing a beat, Beast began," Yeah, from what I know from sources in Washington, the Friends of Humanity group in Congress are working on getting enough votes for it. The Republican Arkansas Representative William Stryker has been the most vocal supporter. He's the one giving the act some steam. Some Democrats have voiced either support or consideration for the act, asking for the Act to be revised to exclude Sentinels. Luckily, other Democrats have spoken out against them. I've been on numerous media programs denouncing the act, criticizing it, but some people's minds you can't change. Scott, Karma it's important to keep the children under supervision. Let them have their fun and freedom, but the X-Men are at the forefront at this whole debate. We will be scrutinized even more, for even the slightest screw up. Scott, maybe amp up the missions for the new team. Have them speak out if they're comfortable yet. We need fresher, younger voices in the debate. That's what I wanted to discuss today. The rest I can save for next week, this was the biggest thing."

Scott's eyes hardened as he weighed Beast's words. "I'll see if they're comfortable with that. Storm likely will. She's shaping up to be a good leader. And, I'll try to get them on more missions. I'll increase my contact with law enforcement on anything they can assist with. Rogue?"

Rogue cheerfully replied," Things have been a bit slow, darlin'. These kids are scared to reveal who they are. Powers manifest during puberty, an already stressful thing. But I got a girl from Florida and identical twins from Nigeria coming in next week. Jean and I have taken care of everything there."

"Anything else, anyone?" Scott asked the room. Silence lingered as they all shrugged and shook their heads. "Alright, let's get to work." Jean and Scott left to have breakfast, and Scott kept an eye on the clock. He expected noontime to arrive sooner than he thought. And he didn't want to be rude to the newest X-Man.


	2. Chapter 2 A Purpose is Found

Her parents began to quietly cry as Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning entered the horizon. Her father tried to hide his sorrow by pointing out the distant sign of the school, and their iconic X-Men symbol. They still felt unsure about sending Kitty to live in another state, to become a public figure, to become an X-Man. It seemed too dangerous to them. Kitty was happy they cared. She read online about other mutants who weren't so lucky. Those mutants were locked out of their homes, abandoned, abused, and sometimes even killed. It sent chills down Kitty's spine. Imagining her parents like that frightened Kitty. She quickly abandoned that in fear she might activate her mutant ability. She had some control over her ability but did not want to learn how much she exactly had.

Once they were allowed to pass through the gate, the Prydes drove down the somewhat long road to the mansion. The road began to curve as they neared the mansion. Once the Prydes reached the main courtyard, they got out of the car. Kitty and her parents looked around and were astonished. The mansion was bigger than they expected. When Rogue sat down to talk to her and her parents, she had kept it modest. She focused more on what the school meant and Kitty's tasks as an X-Man. Looking upon the estate with her own eyes, Kitty saw a simply designed mansion, with faded bricks dominant in the her new home's appearance. The other aspects of the mansion were more modern. The windows on both floors looked new, with a number of security cameras on the mansion and the fences around the large estate. The yard within the estate was moderately sized, and seemed to expand beyond the mansion. Filling that yard was the swimming pool and basketball court. It sat near the mansion, and what excited Kitty about living at the school. Rogue had told her about it and how it was a favorite hangout area for the students. She was relieved at the chance to socialize normally like she used to before her ability surfaced.

There were a number of teenagers spotted about, but one man exited the main doors, walking down the short flight of stairs towards them. He was wearing jeans and a jacket, with red shades covering his eyes. It took Kitty half a moment to realize it was the famous X-Man Cyclops.

"Mr. Pryde, Mrs. Pryde, Ms. Pryde," he said once he reached their car, shaking each of their hands. "I'm Scott Summers, the Headmaster at this school. I hope the drive wasn't too bad."

"It was lovely. We've never been to Iowa so it was nice to see something other than Illinois," Mrs. Pryde responded, laughing at her own joke.

Scott smiled and asked, "Would you two like to stay for some time, explore the school with Kitty and meet her teammates?" He looked over at Kitty. "If that's alright with you. However you feel."

Kitty looked up to the sky for a few moments, conflicted. She knew it might ease her parents' anxiety, but she wanted to meet her teammates on her own. "Just for exploring the school, I guess. No offense, Mom, Dad, it'd just feel weird having my parents behind me when I meet the other X-Men.

Her father waved it off understandably. Her mother's body tensed up when Kitty had said the word "X-Men." When Rogue first came to them about Kitty joining the X-Men, her parents had refused. They viewed it as too dangerous for Kitty, and Kitty herself felt unsure about the matter. Rogue didn't discuss being a student there like many others. She came to them solely to discuss becoming an X-Man. Her parents didn't know how Rogue came to that conclusion. Kitty kept the truth to herself.

Her phasing had activated during her sleep, and she had fell through her bed and house down to the basement. It had left her with a concussion, and her parents allowed her to stay home from school for a few days. Her parents were working and Kitty was in the living room watching television. She was still nervous about her ability activating again,and worried about phasing through the ground accidentally, possibly dying. Kitty had heard some noise from outside and saw it was her neighbor's two year old daughter. The daughter was out in the street, playing with his toys. The boy's parents had a tendency to leave the front door unlocked.

Kitty left the house to return the boy once again to his home. She heard tires screeching and she jerked her head to the left to see a car erratically driving down the street. It was heading towards the boy. She never learned why the driver was so erratic but when she realized the danger she sprinted over to the boy. She wasn't thinking, but had a feeling she wouldn't be able to move him out of the way. She dove as the child froze in the face of danger. She landed and touched the boys left arm, and they both phased. The car continued on its way, never to be seen again. Kitty and the boy were not hurt, but the boy was terrified by the whole experience. He ran back to his home, and Kitty did the same.

She was worried other neighbors had seen, that the boy would tell people. With her life seemingly unraveling, Kitty felt like she could barely breathe. She didn't know what to do. She paced around the house for an hour, imagining the horrible possibilities. At the end of the hour, she decided to call a mutant hotline to vent. Kitty searched for the number of one online, and quickly found one. She dialed the number into her cell phone and simply vented to the volunteer, explaining what had just happened.

"It's okay, you saved someone's life. You've done a very good thing. What's your name sweetie?" the female volunteer asked.

"Kitty. But-but I'm gonna get lynched or something! Friends will find out! I don't even know how my relatives will react! My life is done-it's all fucked up now! All because I'm a goddamn mutant. I didn't ask for all this, and all this just landed in my lap without a moment's notice!"

The female volunteer managed to calm her down over twenty minutes of talking.

"You did a good thing. Take a few more deep breaths, and think about why you helped that boy. From the story, it sounded like something you didn't need to debate over."

She took a few deep breaths, and thought. "I- I suppose I just did what needed to be done. What was right. I think." She felt lighter, happier. She was wrong earlier. She was too concerned about prejudice. Everything was still overwhelming, and she only had her phasing abilities for a few days. "Scratch that, I know."

"Now, Kitty, this is simply an emotional support hotline, but we do have connections to help you. It is perfectly fine to refuse. This hotline is associated with the Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning in Iowa. Furthermore, it is associated with the X-Men that run the school. You may have heard of them. Now only if you are willing, I can send the transcript of this conversation to the school for a possible spot as a student. Maybe even as an X-Men. That part is more up to them. Would you be okay with that? Interested? Once again, there is no pressure and this will stay confidential if you're not interested."

 _A student? X-Men member? Being a student there would be nice. I don't know about being an X-Men though,_ Kitty thought to herself. She figured it was worth the discussion. "Yeah, send the transcript. Kitty Pryde, just so they know who it is. Do I have to go to them, or do they come to me?"

"They come to you. Alright I will send the information. Do you mind if I give them the phone number you used to call the hotline, so they have some way to contact you?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Thank you so much," Kitty calmly said.

"Your welcome. It's okay to be nervous about being a mutant. But being a mutant is not something to be ashamed of. You are still you. Please feel free to contact the hotline or set up an appointment with a therapist if you have any more concerns."

"Thank you, have a nice day."

"You too."

Kitty brought her parents up to speed that night. They expressed more concern than Kitty did, which made her unsure about her decision. And when Rogue eventually arrived after some communication on the best date for it, she felt more unsure over her decision. She had been giving more thought to being a student, and Rogue arrived to mainly discuss Kitty becoming an X-Man. Her parents expressed their doubts more passionately there, inflaming Kitty's inner debate. Her parents refused, and Kitty followed their lead. They were still unsettled by Kitty being a mutant, despite still caring for her. They were dropped into a world which nonmutant humans had told them to fear and despise.

Rogue left and Kitty continued her life. However, now being an X-Man was on her mind. She knew Rogue saw something in her that made her worthy of becoming an X-Man. Those thoughts persisted as she went to school, hung out with friends, went on dates, and lived a normal teenager's life.

Two months had passed since Rogue's visit when Kitty realized what she wanted to do. Previously, she had never known what she wanted to do for a career. But now, she knew she had to become an X-Man. She was willing to be in the public eye to do what was right. _If one of the first X-Men saw potential to carry on the movement, then I will carry on the movement._

And that is how Kitty and her parents ended up exploring the school. They walked through the first floor. They had entered the front doors to the staircase to the second floor, and students walking about. The east wing on the first floor was primarily classrooms, for academic purposes. The west wing had a library, lounge areas, a game room, a large kitchen and dining room. There were also a few specialized rooms for mutant ability classes. The second floor was mainly the sleeping quarters for the old and young X-Men and all the students. There were even a few teachers who lived at the mansion. Kitty's parents were visibly uncomfortable seeing so many mutants. Kitty saw shame in their eyes when they realized she had noticed, and when they had noticed her sorrow.

The last spot for the tour was Kitty's new room. They had been carrying Kitty's luggage for the whole tour. It was a small room, as typical rooms were doubles. X-Men were able to have single rooms. The room had a twin bed, a desk, and a window with a view of the large backyard and the pool and court below. There were two dressers, a large one, and a small one that sat underneath the bed. The walls were a light hue of green, with wooden flooring.

Her parents began to tear up, and Cyclops stepped out of the room to allow some privacy. They hugged Kitty and she cried in their arms.

"We love you, Kitty. Remember through all this we will always love you," her mother promised.

"We just want you to be safe. This is so frightening to us. This wasn't supposed to happen for another year, when you were going to head off to college. But we are proud of you. You are going to better humankind by fighting for mutant humans' rights," her father revealed to her.

She didn't want them to go. She knows they have to. She knows she cannot have them protect her forever. But hearing those words after these past few months were the most comforting experience in her life. "I love you guys. Thank you."

"No, thank you," her father replied.

The embrace ended and her parents said goodbye to her. They thanked Cyclops on the way out and he reassured them that. He entered the room afterwards as Kitty wiped her tears with her sleeve. He gestured towards the small dresser. "Inside there is your X-Men uniform. All of the uniforms for the team are a bit different. Specialized for their attributes and abilities. I'll wait outside as you change, and then we'll head down to the Danger Room for you to meet the team. There'll be an exercise to show you what exactly you'll be doing during your time here, besides academics."

 _Danger Room?_ "Uh, yeah, no problem. Just give me a moment."

He nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Kitty opened the top drawer of the dresser, and lifted her uniform out to fully see it.

"Oh. Hell yeah," Kitty said with a grin.


End file.
